the Man in the Woods
by thatoneguynobodyknows
Summary: Dave decided to take a walk in the woods and as he did, he came across a person who seemed to be more animal than man. He found that Gamzee had grown up in these dense woods, alone, with nothing but the wilderness around him. As a result, he knows no english, no normal customs such as eating with a fork, bathing, ect. Dave thinks he can train him. Whether he wants to or not.
1. Chapter 1

"Dave, where the fuck are you going?"

"Out."

"You know what I fucking meant."

"Well, Karkles, since you're so concerned, and have to know, I'm going on a walk to none of your business, and I might stop by leave me the fuck alone on the way there."

Karkat sunk in his seat at the kitchen table, narrowing his red eyes at his so called friend who was staring back at him from behind his shades. It was safe to say the albino was less than amused by Dave's response, but decided to drop it, not in the mood to drag this stupid conversation out. He flipped him off as he turned and left. Karkat didn't know why he moved in with this dick other than he didn't want to have to stay alone and pay rent by himself in some shitty apartment. Don't get the wrong idea; it wasn't just him and Dave here. Fuck no, he would lose his mind. No, they had decided to bunk with a couple collage buddies so they could all split the rent and afford a nice place. Mind you, when Karkat agreed to this, he had no idea how many people where going to be crammed into one house. As if Dave wasn't enough, he was also roommates with Eridan, Nepeta, Feferi, John, and Rose. Yup, just one big happy fucking bunch.

Even though Karkat wasn't entirely happy with his so called roommates, he couldn't complain about the living arrangement. With their entire income combine, they had settled on buying a nice house in a nice neighborhood. The home was rather large, and just big enough for all of them to live comfortably. There were 3 stories to the house. The third floor was just a couple bathrooms and bedrooms, where the boys slept. The ground floor had a bathroom, the kitchen and dining, a living room, and bedrooms for the girls. The cellar was just as you think a cellar would be. Dark, dingy, dirty, and cold. The floor was still concrete with no carpeting or other flooring put in, and the walls were the same. A couple dangling light bulbs was all there was to light the room. They had planned on cleaning it up and maybe making a lounge, or a game room, and Eridan and Feferi were pretty intent on convincing everyone to make the basement have a secret swimming pool. In the end, fear of the eerie basement, and pure laziness rendered the cellar into being their storage room, which was now flooded with boxes and knick-knacks, and things nobody would need ever.

All in all, it wasn't bad. Everyone did their share of cleaning and cooking, they didn't have too much trouble with stealing each other's stuff, or invading personal space. Okay, no that was lie. But it was bearable at least. It was also in a calm area, nice and away from too many roads, or people, and behind the house, was just plain forest for miles. It was nice.

But still, Karkat couldn't help but be extremely annoyed by his roommates all. The. Time.

-…-

Dave shoved one hand into the pocket of his black jeans and used his free hand to brush back his light hair before it fell back into place. Dave sighed quietly. He was a bit down. He didn't know how to explain it, it's not like anything bad happened, and he wasn't having some sort of man-period mood swings. He was…well, just plain bored. He thought that after he got out of school, the do-the-same-exact-thing-every-day way of life would be in his past, but he felt like it was happening all over again. He wanted freedom to stretch his arms, and hang out. And maybe some time to clear his head without John placing whoopee cushions on his seat or Karkat screeching in his ear, or his sister trying to dissect his brain. Just to clear his head. He began to walk, to the woods out back. He didn't know why, it's not like he's ever walked there before. He had no interest in the wilderness, or nature walks, or squirrels throwing nuts at his head. He grew up in the busy city, it just wasn't his thing. But somehow, he found himself surround by trees with twigs and dried leaves withering underneath his sneakers. He gave another gruff sigh to himself but instead of turning back he pushed forward, every now and then getting his pants snagged on a thorn bush or have a branch stick out and tap at his shades.

"Goddamn, why don't we have a path or some shit?"

He muttered to himself, pushing further. He didn't know how long or far he walked, and didn't care. At least it was quiet and at least it was new. He did, however, snap from his thoughts when he noticed it was beginning to get dark. He muttered a curse to himself and turned around on his heels. He couldn't see the house through the thick trees and he knew that it would probably be a while before he did. So he began to walk back where he assumed the house was. It wasn't until another hour passed that he realized he was lost. He pushed his hand behind his shades and scrubbed at his eyes in irritation. He knew this wasn't right, he heard water. A stream probably, and he sure as fuck didn't pass any stream. He decided to sit down, and try and figure out where the hell he was before he got himself eaten by a pack of rabid deer or something like that. He wandered over to the nearby stream and sat on the hill a little ways a way, glancing down as the water passed. It was getting pretty dark by now, and he could hear the crickets chirping.

*SNAP*

He flinched at the sound. It defiantly sounded like a person stepping on a twig and breaking it. Or something. He tensed up and glanced over to where he thought he heard the noise from, which was difficult to determine from the way the sound bounced off the trees. It was all silent for a minute, only the rustling of leaves and the insects around to comfort/annoy him. He relaxed.

*SPLASH*

"Holyshitwhathehell!?"

With that, Dave hopped up, scrambling back, and had to stop himself from tripping over a couple twigs and rocks jutting out from their place on the ground. His entire body went ridged. It had sounded like something had jumped in the river, something big, much bigger than an innocent squirrel taking a midnight dip. He wanted to run, but then it occurred to him that this was probably a prank by Egbert, trying to scare him again, and he'll be damned if he'll give that kid the satisfaction of scaring a Strider. He snapped his head over to where the splash came from.

It was not John standing in the water.

In fact, what Dave saw nearly made him piss himself, not that he'd ever admit it. Or rather, who he saw. Whoever this guy was. He stared at the other through his shades with wide eyes.

Standing knee deep in the water was a tall, gangly male, his limbs littered with scratches and scars. He was extremely thin, unhealthily so. It was easy to tell seeing as he was only wearing a loin cloth. His skin clung tightly to his ribs, and the ridges of his spin were prominent. It looked like he hadn't been well fed in a long time. There was a thick layer of dirt and grime coating his skin from top to bottom, the water in the stream doing nothing to clean it off. His jet black hair was long, and tangled like he had never had a haircut before, reaching past his butt and ghosting the water bellow. The thing Dave noticed the most though, was the pale, goat like horns jutting out of his skull.

The one thing on Dave's mind was not 'what is he doing here' or 'what is he', but was the fact that he found this filthy stranger fascinating. He should be scared, or maybe pissed off that somebody was trespassing. But he wasn't. He was just interested in who he was, why he was here, and what his story was. So instead of running away, he watched him, relieved he wasn't noticed yet.

The horned male sloshed around in the stream, trudging forward, and cupping the water with his hands, and pouring it onto his side. Upon closer inspection, Dave noticed a gash on the others side, still oozing with thick crimson blood. The other male grunted in pain, but repeated, until he was satisfied that the wound was clean. He sighed, and then sunk chest deep into the water, going silent. He must be cold, it was late September. But he stayed there. He just sat there in the water for at least 10 minutes. Dave almost went down to check and see if he was still alive, to see if he had fallen asleep or something.

*SNARL* *SPLASH*

Dave jumped and watched as the other growled and slashed his hand into the water, only to pull it out with a dead fish resting in his palm, a slash going through its throat, probably from skilled fingers ripping his jagged nails through its skin and scales. And then he put his mouth and bit it. He…He just fucking bit it. It took him a moment to finish off the fish, having its blood stain his lips and chins from lack of cooking it. He even ate like an animal, gnashing his teeth, making slurping noises, and chewing with his mouth open, showing off his sharp, bloodstained not so pearly whites. When he had finished, he got up, out of the stream, dripping, smearing the blood around his mouth with the back of his hand.

Staring at him through his shades, which would be a bit difficult at this time of night if he wasn't used to it, Dave watched as the beastlike man trudged his way over the hill on the opposite side. Dave stood there for a moment, pondering on what he should do next. He turned in the opposite direction. And ran.

He didn't know how fast or how long he ran, and he knew he tripped a couple times, scrapping his pale skin and ripping his jeans, but he didn't stop, not until he spotted his home, ran inside, and then finally slammed and locked the door behind him.

"Whew…I'm outta shape…"

He wheezed, leaning against the door, trying to catch his breath when he noticed skeptical violet eyes staring at him. He did what any guy in his position would do and stared back, finally calming his wheezes.

"Hey Rose. Aren't you up past your bedtime?"

"Yes, if I had one, that is. I decided to delay my slumber this fine night because a certain brother of mine had left without telling anyone his destination, or if he even had one, and then disappeared for four hours."

Ah, good old Rose. He loved when she let him know she cared in the way that can make him feel the shittiest. She closed the thick, old looking book she had in her lap, running her thin, milky white fingers delicately over the title, pretending that she was far more interested in the book than Dave.

"Well? I am expecting an explanation, you know." The thin, fragile looking girl spoke impatiently, her words leaving her place lips with obvious frustration and worry.

Dave walked over to the couch his sister was sitting on, stepping behind it so he was directly behind her, and leaned over the edge of the couch, his hand gripping it so he didn't fall forward.

"What're you reading?"

"Where were you?"

His attempt to change the topic to something more comfortable did not work. And Dave knew there was no convincing Rose to change her mind once it was made up, she wanted to know why he was gone for so long. He couldn't blame her. It wasn't like him to run off like he did anyways.

"Alright fine, you got me. I just took a walk in the woods, which is why I'm dirty and smell like nature."

"For four hours?" She arched a thin brow, clearly skeptical.

"I got lost. But hey, I'm sorry I worried my baby sister." He cooed out the last words sarcastically and then ruffled Rose's hair, having her blonde locks fall in her eyes and her headband slip. She hated that, and he knew it. She huffed; dropping her novel onto her lap and reaching up to fix her hair, fiddling with the headband for a moment and then gave up, taking it off and placing it with her book.

"You can hardly call me a baby considering we're the same age, and I am vastly more mature than you." She reminded him. Only siblings like Rose and Dave could have such a healthy relationship with such teasing and snark.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm going to bed. I suggest you do too." Dave left Rose where she was in the family room and walked up the stairs to his room, slamming the door behind him. The Strider trudged over the dirty clothes on the floor, and then simply dropped onto his messy bed, not changing out of his clothes or taking off his shoes. He already knew he wasn't going to get any sleep. He couldn't get that man in the woods out of his head. He would have to see him again.


	2. Chapter 2

Dave didn't sleep well that night at all. His thoughts were cluttered with the image of the horned man he saw in the woods. He just…he had to see him again; he had to know about him. The nameless man had totally captured all of the Strider's attention without even trying, and it just made Dave even more curious about him.

Reluctantly, he had pulled himself out of bed, untangling himself from the sheets and blankets he had been wrestling with all night, pulled off his clothes, showered, and then got dressed in something that didn't reek. The same bland routine he followed every morning. He's was beginning to hate it but then again, it was absolutely necessary. Then, he trudged down the stairs, to meet up with some of his other roommates, most of them tired and sluggish and in no mood to talk to him. By process of elimination, he found out it was Rose's turn to cook breakfast, which kind of made him feel bad for having her stay up late to wait on him.

Eridan was groggily sitting on the couch, yawning every now and then, and scratching at his morning stubble, while Feferi had fallen back asleep leaning on this shoulder. Nepeta was sprawled across the top of the couch, much like a lazy cat would do, her dangling leg swaying back and forth against the back of the couch. Karkat sat in a single chair not too far away, his arms crossed over his chest and earphones blasting some song Dave didn't know. Judging by the dark circles still ever so present under his eyes, Dave assumed Karkat hadn't gotten any sleep. Again.

Instead of waiting like a zombie with the rest of the drowsy group, he decided to check on Rose, maybe be a decent person for once and offer her some help with breakfast. He wasn't prepared for the sight he walked in on though. When the Strider set foot in the kitchen, he saw his sister standing at the stove, as he had expected, flipping golden flapjacks back and forth on a skillet. John stood behind her, his arms lazily resting around her waist, pulling her to him, his head resting against hers ever so gently, quietly yawning against her hair. Rose didn't seem to mind.

Dave really should be used to this now. Rose and John have been dating for 8 months now. They hadn't even told him, Dave had found out by an unfortunate series of events, involving him walking in on the two with their lips locked. It didn't upset the cool kid, just, made things awkward for a while. It was difficult to become comfortable with his best friend dating his sister. He still wasn't sure if he had fully come to terms with it.

Deciding not to disturb the two and simple sat at the cluttered kitchen table instead, his chair squeaking against the floor as he did. John glanced over his shoulder at the shaded male, and released the Lalonde, joining the other boy at the table, pushing a couple magazines and empty cups to the side to give him room to rest his arms on the table. He greeted the other with a wide smile, showing off his buck teeth proudly.

"Hey, Dave! 'Morning!"

"Morning."

"You disappeared for a while yesterday, huh?" The black haired boy questioned, a curious twinkle in his blue eyes. Dave stared back unimpressed, but soon smirked back at him.

"Oh, haha, yeah, funny thing happened."

"Yeah?" John responded a bit too quickly.

"Yeah, I fell off the face of the earth for a couple hours. How about that?"

The other sensed his sarcasm and luckily for Dave, his friend has a good sense of humor, and chuckled a bit. "Aw, Dave, again?"

"What can I say? This world just isn't ready for all this irony, so it keeps trying to get rid of me."

"Wow, the worlds a jerk."

"I hear you, man"

They're conversation was cut short when Rose placed a plate stacked high with pancakes on the table in front of them, sneaking a peck from John as she leaned over, and then she went over to the doorway to inform the still yet to fully wake up others that the food was ready. Shortly after, they filled in, taking a seat at the table, and filling their plates. Rose soon joined them.

"Will someone pass the syrup, please?" Feferi chirped, eyeing Eridan as she asked, who soon handed her the sticky bottle of syrup with a sleepy grunt. He wasn't much of a morning person.

"Rose, these are really, really good!" Nepeta complimented, munching on one of the bare pancakes, and Rose smiled, thanking her, and Karkat soon joined the conversation by telling Nepeta to use a fork.

It droned on like this for a while, Dave not really engaging in the conversations, his mind elsewhere. He couldn't take his mind off of that man. He was just, consuming his mind, and he knew if he didn't find him again soon, he would hate himself. Every now and then he got the worrying thought that he might have just spotted a hobo bathing in a river, but he kept finding a way to reassure himself. He just knew this guy was something different, something astonishing.

"Dave, dear, you're drooling into your food." Rose snapped the other out of his daze.

"Yeah, you haven't said one word to us all morning, Dave." Feferi piped up, leaning over the table a bit to shoot Dave a concerned look.

"I'm fine, just…Tired, you know?" He fibbed, going quiet.

"About what?" Nepeta soon joined in with a smile, a mischievous look on her face, as if imaging all the things he could be thinking of.

"Probably nothing important." Karkat quipped in soon after, before showing his true interest. "What is it, some shitty rap song, what shades look best with your shirt?"

"Christ, leavve the poor guy alone, let him eat his pancakes." Eridan grumpily spoke up, the morning seeming to still put him in a bad mood. The others backed off at that, going back to picking at their food and poking fun at each other. In the moment of peace, a thought occurred to Dave.

"Hey, Eridan. Do you still have that hunting rifle your dad gave you?"

"Yeah, wwhy?"

-…-

"Dave, this is fuckin' ridiculous, I havven't gone huntin' in ages, and more importantly, I don't really feel like doin' this." Eridan had finished getting ready for the day, with a shower, shave, and a handful of hair gel. It must be a bit disappointing for one to get themself to look so florid, to just end up trudging after a person they barely consider a friend, through mud, twigs, and other nature-y shit.

"For the last goddamn time, It's not hunting." Dave replied sounding a bit irritated from the complaining.

"Then wwhy are wwe evven out here?"

"I'll tell you, okay? Relax."

A bit more trudging and a couple times getting lost, they finally made it to their destination. Dave and Eridan stood onto of the grassy hill, looking down at the rushing stream, which was empty and dull. The blonde then promptly took a seat on the ground, and then motioned for Eridan to join him, which soon, he did. But after a few moments of silence, the Ampora began to feel reasonably irritated.

"Dave."

"Yeah?"

"Wwhat are wwe-"

"Keep your voice down."

"…Wwhat are wwe doin'?" He tried again, a bit quieter.

"Waiting."

"…Okay…? For?"

"Eridan, just fucking relax okay, I know what I'm do-!" He shut up quickly, when he heard a familiar splash, both turning to look at the once empty stream, the expected visitor now wading in the water.

The skinny male splashed into the water, gazing at the clear stream and feeling its current against his fingertips with these surprisingly graceful movements. Everything was silent for a moment, except for the sound of the water, which was soon joined by the sound of leaves tousling together in the breeze, making the scene seem all the more breath-taking.

"Dave?"

"Yeah?"

"Wwho the hell is that?"

"I have no clue."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…I'm going to go talk to him."

Eridan shuffled stiffly in his spot, seeming to not want to be noticed, which was reasonable. His green eyes stared at the other in disbelief, shock, maybe thinking he was idiotic for even suggesting such a thing. "Are you fuckin' crazy? That guy looks mentally unstable, wwhy wwould you evven wwant to-" He didn't even bother trying to finish his sentence. Dave was already getting up and walked toward the other who was still enjoying the freezing cold water.

Dave walked toward the dirt caked wild-child with mock bravery, being constant with his steps, he could feel his heart pounding hard against his ribs with each step that got him closer. He took his chance to examine him a bit closer, noticing more scars standing out against his sun-tanned skin, taking in his sharp features, and the reopened wound on his side, yet again smeared with his own dried blood. Dave stopped a few feet away from the water. The man still hadn't noticed him yet, and he nervously thought of what to do next. He didn't think he would get this far. He shifted his weight back and forth on his feet, waiting for the other to notice that he was standing there, and then realized he wouldn't. He thought of what to say to the nameless man. …Nothing seemed good enough, so he took a chance.

"Hey."

That got the others attention. He snapped his head in the Strider's direction, staring at him wide eyed, as if he had never seen anything like Dave before. Quite honestly, this should be reversed. Dave should be the surprised one, but no, the nameless person stood frozen in his spot, staring at Dave. He wasn't saying anything, and Dave decided to try again.

"Yeah, you." He spoke a bit shakily, trying to not sound nervous. "You're on private property. What are you doing here?"

"…" The man remained silently, taking a few steps back.

"…" Dave took a few steps forward. "Its cool man, you're not in trouble, just tell me why you're here."

The man looked from side to side, glancing behind him as if ready to run, and then back at Dave.

"Yes, yes, you." Dave said again, patience growing thin.

"...Tlen chihua quinequiz…?"

Okay, Dave was sure that wasn't English, or any language he ever heard.

"What?"

"Neh chihuazqueh ahcihcacahqueh."

"… the hell does that even mean?"

Then the guy started to look at Dave like HE was the crazy one! The nerve. Getting irritated, Dave snapped at him, walked closer.

"Are you just fucking with me? Because this is getting really-"

He ran. The man scrambled out of the water, stumbling and catching himself on his hands and feet before darting up the hill and away, leaving Dave stunned. He couldn't let him get away, that was the first thought that came to mind. He glanced at the ice cold water hesitantly, before splashing through the stream himself, and darting after him. Luckily he was still in sight, but damn was he fast. He seemed to know exactly how to weave around trees, rocks, and bushes, making it extremely hard for Dave to catch up to him. Luckily, years of ridiculous battles with his bro had taught him how to be fast and nimble. He tripped a couple times, tearing his jeans and skin, making his knees bleed, but he quickly jumped to his feet, over and over again, keeping his eye on the tangled mess of hair ahead of him. He felt himself getting tired, but the curiosity and frustration pushed him forward. Finally, he was catching up, and he took his chance, throwing himself forward and tackling the other to the ground.

They both tumbled and Dave rolled to stop, practically sitting on top of the stunned man. Just when Dave was about to stop and take a breath, the man pretty much snarled at him, pushing the Strider over, and off him. Once free, the black haired boy, jumped back into a clear fighting stance, and Dave got on his feet, stepping back as well, not sure how to handle the situation.

"…Listen man, it's not like that. I don't want to fight you." Dave held his hands in front of him to show he meant no harm.

"Chihuazqueh omolinih nozo neh mictihtoya!" The man hissed at the blonde through bared teeth.

"Yeah, right, totally. Listen, I'm just gonna…go. Okay? Calm down." Dave spoke calmly. He had to admit, this was kind of scary. Maybe this was a bad idea. He took a step back, and that's when he got tackled to the ground. He landed hard on his back, his shades falling off and landing somewhere away. He squinted at the brighter light, and opened his eyes to see a filthy hand flying toward his face. He hissed, the long haired mans overgrown nails slashing across his face, breaking skin. Dave yelped and grabbed the other by the shoulders, trying to push him off, but couldn't. For a staving dude, this guy sure was strong. Again, the nails clawed at his skin, ripping past the other side of his face. All Dave could do was cover his face with his arms and struggle to get away, but he was straddled. He felt him claw at his arms, and then a blow to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Dave hissed, holding his stomach and opening an eye to see the man hold back a fist, preparing a punch that looked sure to promise pain. Dave closed his eyes and waited for the blow, but it never came. Instead he heard a 'thunk' and then felt a weight lay on top of him. He opened his eyes to see the man lying limply on top of him, and then Eridan standing next to him with an unimpressed look on his face, hunting rifle in hand.

"…Eridan, what did you do?"

"Wwoww, um, you're wwelcome Davve. Don't worry, I didn't shoot him, just hit him in the head with the butt of gun, seein' how you wwere gettin' your ass handed to you. You so fuckin' owe me, Strider."

Dave sat up while pushing the other off him and to the side as he did. "Yeah…Yeah, I really fucking do." He placed a hand on his face and hissed at the sting, and pulled his hand away to see crimson staining his pale hand. Fucker got him good. Both Eridan and Dave looked at the unconscious male, and then back at each other.

"Wwe can't leave him,…can wwe?" He asked hopefully.

"No, dude." The shaded one sighed, standing and dusting himself off, looking down at the unconscious wild child. "I think I can pick him up. He doesn't look heavy." He pulled the limp body so he was lying on his back instead of his stomach, and pushed his hands under him, grunting as he lifted him off the ground. He was heavier than he looked, but nothing Dave couldn't handle.

"Davve, you're not going to take him to our house, are you? …You are."

"Well I know you think it'd be just hunky-dory to leave him out here to get eaten by birds or something, but that's kind of a terrible fucking idea." He shifted so he didn't drop the tall boy. "Just. Trust me okay. For once."

"…Fine. But I hope you know wwhat you're doin', Davve."


	3. Chapter 3

"Eridan, what were you and Dave doing out in the woods all day? I certainly hope you weren't hunting with that gun." Feferi asked as she sat next to Eridan on the couch and brushed her long wavy hair over her shoulder.

"No, Fef. " Eridan answered blandly, his mind elsewhere. "No huntin' w-was done."

"Well, I'm also curious about what you two were doing!" Nepeta chirped, as she sat on the arm of the couch. "If not hunting, then what?"

The Ampora huffed in annoyance. "If you really w-want to know-w, w-why don't you go and ask Dawe?" He snapped.

"We would." Feferi started."But neither of us have seen him since you got home."

"Yes, so you have to tell us!" Nepeta joined.

Giving up, Eridan flopped against the couch and growled out his response. "Fine! He didn't w-want me sayin' anythin' but w-we basically stalked this strange w-wolf man or somethin' and then Dawe kidnapped him, w-which makes me his accomplice I guess, so w-we're both goin' to jail."

"Well that's great! But what actually happened?" The feline-like female asked.

"Fuckin'-"

Dave stared at the strange man who was currently still unconscious in front of him, slouching against one of the support beams in the basement. He has decided to handcuff the mans hands behind the beam, to avoid any more claws digging into his face, the handcuffs having been a "funny" gift from his bro. 'Just in case you need them.' He had said. Who would have thought that they'd actually come in handy?

Dave continued to stare at the man who sat in the dim lighting. He was filthy, absolutely caked from head to toe in dirt and grim and grass stains, and Dave could tell because that loin cloth didn't cover up much. He was skinny, so so skinny, unhealthily skinny. Dave could count each one of his ribs and his spine appeared through tight skin, making him appear like all dirt and sharp edges. His hair was also long, long ebony tangles left in wild, tangled knots. Dave suspected something was living in there. The hands that were cuffed together possessed sharpened nails, just as sharp as the chiseled shark week going on in his mouth.  
He truly was more beast than man.

Curiosity got the best of the Stider, and Dave found himself scooting closer to the knocked out man. With caution, and a bit of hesitance, Dave reached over, brushing the mans hair out of his face. Oh no. He was incredibly handsome. Even with all that dirt, Dave was able to take in all the mans attractive features. Just who the fuck was this guy?

Trailing his hand down and letting the mans hair fall back in his eyes, Dave put his finger to the mans mouth and pulled back his lips to reveal ridiculously sharp teeth.

He hadn't expected those teeth to clamp down on his finger so suddenly.

"AHH-!" Dave bit down on his lip, silencing his howl of pain (mostly) so he wouldn't alert the whole damn house. Tearing his hand back, which was a bad idea, Dave ripped his hand from the insane mans mouth, along with some of his finger.

"Fuck, FUCK!" He cried, holding his gushing hand to his chest, almost afraid to access the damage and see no finger. Luckily, he still had all 10 digits, and in his haze of pain, Dave snapped his head in the mans direction.

He's smirking. He was awake and smirking at him, and...and chewing, what was he chewing? Oh. Part of Dave's finger. Blood dribbled down his chin, and onto his chest and he swallowed, like it was nothing. And he smirked. He smirked at Dave, with this terrifying sneer that was nearly cleavering his face in half. As if saying he was in charge here.

And how dare he, Dave thought. How dare he bite him, and stare him down like that, when clearly he was the one in control. "Fucking bastard asshole!" The Strider ground out, slamming his fist into the side of the mans head, causing his head to snap to the side. Slowly, the stranger looked back toward, grinning at him. And enraged, Dave struck him again. And again, and again until the man stopped grinning, and he was no longer so mad, he could claw this guys throat out.

Heaving, Dave clenched and unclenched his fist a few times before crouching in front of the discombobulated man, and pointed his at him with his good hand.

"That is not. Civilized behavior." And then he straightened out and left, muttering a swear under his as he held his hurt hand.

-  
"Whoa, Dave, what happened to your hand? That's a lot of bandages!"

"Don't worry about it, John."

"Where you playing with your katanas again?"

"Sure, Rose."

"Dave, you sure have been acting weird lately."

"Yeah. I w-wonder w-why?"

"...What, is this, interrogate the cool kid day, seriously?"

"It's called being concerned, asshole. The last thing we need is to hitch a ride on the screwed over train to I-fucked-up town."

"Whoa, Karkat lives."

"Dawe, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Get the fuck up and follow-w me, already."

With that being said and after heaving a heavy sigh, Dave left the living room area to follow Eridan into the hall, who after a moment, stopped and turned to face Dave, speaking in a harsh whisper.

"W-what the hell are you doin'?!"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you dare play dumb w-with me, Stider."

"I'm just getting him settled in. He's still adjusting."

"You mean that freak w-we-you kidnapped from the w-woods? And w-what do you mean, gettin' him settled in? You can't honestly be thinkin' about hawein' him stay here! He's clearly mentally unsound!"

"Dude, fucking trust me okay? I know what I'm doing."

"No you don't. No you fuckin' don't, Dawe, you're goin' to get us all arrested or killed w-with this. W-what is ewen goin' through your head right now-w?"

"I'm thinking he needs so help and guidance. If I don't, then fucking who?"

"I don't know-w...but I don't w-want to be part of this."

"Listen, w-we can talk about this later, alright? I'm totally cool with having this conversation, just not now."

"Fine...alright. But tell me the truth. W-what happened to your finger? He hurt you, didn't he?"

"It's fine."

"He's dangerous."

"Alright, see you later, fish breath." Dave sighed in annoyance, turning to walk away.

"You know-w this ain't ower, Strider."

"Yeah, yeah, see you at dinner."

-  
This was something Dave liked. They all ate their meals together, as often as they could. Like a family would. Dave and Bro never really got to do that. So it's something he really appreciates now that he's older. It was Karkat's turn to cook dinner, and naturally Nepeta jumped to help him. Poor girl. It was painfully obvious that she had a crush on the albino boy, and either he chose to ignore it or was incredibly dense. At least she's persistent.

Eventually, the simple dish of spaghetti(neither Nepeta or Karkat were all that good at cooking) was set in the table, and those who weren't already hovering around the kitchen at the smell of food soon joined them when Karkat shouted,"Hey assholes, eat now or go hungry!"

Once again, Dave avoided all conversations at dinner as he picked at his food and tried to think of what he needed to do about...you know. Finally, had run one plan through his head over and over again and decided that he'd go for it.

"Hey everyone? After dinner, I have something to show you guys."


End file.
